Kids Shoes Without Socks – The Best Shoes For Children Who Hate Wearing Socks!

Are your kids refusing to wear socks with their shoes? Most children don’t like to wear socks with their shoes, but this can lead to your child developing foot issues and the shoes starting to develop a smell.

I always explain to parents that it’s important for their children to wear socks with their shoes. Socks act as a barrier between your kids’ feet and the shoes, preventing the formation and buildup of bacteria inside the shoes.

I have been fitting children’s shoes and orthotics for the last 10 years at a specialty children’s shoe store that specializes in fitting children with foot and leg problems, but we also provide regular shoe fittings for all children, whatever their needs are.

There are certain shoe styles that your child can wear without socks, since they are breathable, machinewashable, and come with an antibacterial insole.

It’s also really important for the shoes to be made of soft materials, otherwise your child’s feet might start rubbing against the shoes and the constant friction between your child’s feet and the shoes will lead to blisters, calluses, and corns. We need to look for shoes made out of light leathers and breathable meshes that will help your kids’ feet breathe and remain dry.

My goal is to help those parents who don’t have a local children’s shoe store that they TRUST find the correct pair of shoes for their children online.

I decided to create an article describing which are the best shoes that children can wear without socks, since I have been contacted by several parents who were dealing with their kids’ shoes getting too smelly and were also afraid that their children might develop an infection.

Choosing the correct type of shoes for your child to wear without socks will prevent the formation of bacteria inside the shoes, as well as prevent infections and other foot issues. If you don’t choose the correct type of shoes for your child to wear without socks, the constant sweat will wear down the materials of the shoes and you might end up having to replace the shoes before your child outgrows them.

I always recommend parents to make their children wear socks with their shoes, but if you are at that point where you are wasting a lot of time and had already given up the sock battle, we must find a pair of shoes that will keep your kids’ feet healthy.

So, if you have a child that refuses to wear socks with his or her shoes, I will describe in this article the best shoes that your child can wear without socks.

First things First! – Is your Child Wearing the Correct Type of Socks?

Before I provide you with a selection of the best shoes that children can wear without socks, I want to make sure that you have try all the different type of socks available for children with sensitive feet.

For example, did you know that there are certain types of socks that are seamless and specially made for kids with sensory issues? Seamless socks are great for children who always feel bumps and lumps as soon as they put their socks on. We carry these type of socks at the children’s shoe store that I work for, and parents were amazed at how much kids love them.

So, before you try a pair of shoes for your child to wear without his or her socks, I want to make sure we rule out all possible sock styles.

If you want to see a selection of the best seamless socks for children, you can find them in an article I wrote called:

I also explain in that article how to make sure that your child is wearing the correct sock size.

Let’s say you have tried a pair of seamless socks for your child but your child is still complaining about how they feel and refuses to wear them with shoes…

Now it’s time to find some shoes that your child can wear without socks!

The Best Kids’ Shoes to Wear Without Socks – Keep Their Feet Healthy!

I will divide this part of the article in two sections. The first one will describe every day shoes that your child can wear without socks and the second one will describe casual shoes that your child can wear without socks.

The first selection of shoes are all supportive shoes and your child can wear them to run around and play at school or the playground.

These shoes might look like any other type of regular sneakers, but the features that they provide (antibacterial insoles, machine washable, and soft materials) make them the best shoes to wear without socks.

Let me explain you why these shoes are ideal for children who don’t want to wear socks with their shoes:

They come with an antibacterial insole and they are machine washable. Those two features are extremely important to prevent the formation of bacteria inside the shoes and prevent the shoes from developing strong odors.

The shoes are made of soft materials inside in order to not rub and hurt your kids’ feet. The shoe styles I recommend below are all well padded inside.

The shoes are also extremely lightweight, flexible, and they provide good arch and ankle support at the same time.

Now that you know what features these shoes styles will provide, let’s start by describing the best everyday shoes for kids who refuse to wear socks with their shoes:

All of these shoe styles run “long”, which means that you need to get the same exact size that your child measured in the standard foot measuring scale (Brannock device) in order to allow for growing room. Since the shoes already fit “long”, you don’t need to go a half a size or a whole size longer in order to leave growing room.

Now that you know which are the best shoes for children who refuse to wear socks, you can stop all the fussing every time is time to put your child’s socks on since they won’t have to!

Before you leave, I wanted to let you know that there is a shoe brand called Native shoes (you might have already tried these shoe styles for your child) that work great for children who don’t like to wear socks with their shoes, and they are very easy to put on, just keep in mind that these are not shoes that your child can wear them for their every day activities.

Easy Shoes that Kids can Put on by Themselves – Native Shoes!

The type of shoes that I will describe below are meant to be worn for a maximum of 6 hours a days, but they are great if you are looking for a shoe that your kids can easily put on and take off by themselves and that they can also wear during the summer days or inside the house.

I always recommend parents to make their children wear socks when they are trying shoes on, since there have been several cases of children developing infections due to trying on shoes at the shoe store without socks (these are shoes that many children might have tried before).

Some of the features parents love from Native shoes is that they are shock absorbent, odor resistant,hand-washable, and are available in different colors and styles.

Here you can find a selection of the best Native shoes styles for children that I have fitted before:

The Jefferson style fits children who have narrow feet.

The Miles style fits children with wide feet.

Because of all of these shoe styles are slip-ons, you can only allow a small amount of growing room for your child, otherwise the shoes will move up and down your child’s feet and create blisters.

Do you have a children’s shoe store in your area that you can take your children to be properly fitted for shoes? Parents are always asking me if I know about a good children’s shoe store in their area where they can take their children to be properly fitted for shoes, so if you have a shoe store that you trust, please let us know where you are located since other parents will find that information very helpful.

If you are unsure if you have a good children’s shoe store in your area, take a look at a map I created where I describe the best children’s shoe stores by state:

Do you have a child that refuses to wear socks with his/her shoes? Have you found a particular style that has worked well without socks? Please share your thoughts below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.

STOP BUYING THE WRONG PAIR OF SHOES FOR YOUR CHILDREN.LET’S START TAKING CARE OF THEIR FEET!

I created this webpage to help parents understand the importance that shoes have in healthy foot development and how they can prevent foot problems in the future.Join the rest of the parents who are taking care of their kid’s feet and get my guide for free: 10 Mistakes Parents Must Avoid When Buying Shoes for their Kids.

Join the rest of the parents who are taking care of their kids’ feet and get my guide for free: The 5 Most Common Mistakes Parents Make when Buying Their Kids’ Shoes

4 Comments on Kids Shoes Without Socks – The Best Shoes For Children Who Hate Wearing Socks!

Crocs are meant for short distance walking such as walking to the swimming pool and walking back. They are not meant for playing, running, or jumping. I actually wrote an article about Crocs and you can find it here:

My granddaughter whom is 4 hates socks, she has fits if we make her wear socks this is why I’m looking for shoes without socks for her but she lives in a snow climate and not wearing socks in the winter is not good so I’ve come to you for help….. HELP!

Your granddaughter is one of the many kids that can’t stand how socks feel. Before you decide to provide her with a pair of shoes that she can wear without socks, I recommend that you try a pair of seamless socks. I recommend the your granddaughter wears a pair of socks with her shoes not just because of the cold weather, but also because socks play a key role in keeping your kids’ feet healthy since they act as a barrier between your kids’ feet and the shoes, preventing the formation and buildup of bacteria inside the shoe.

Take a look at an article I wrote where I describe the best seamless socks for girls:

About me

I have been fitting children’s shoes and orthotics for ten years at a premier children’s shoe store specializing in proper fit for over forty years. Every week I help hundreds of children find the best shoes to fit their particular feet. Bones in children are not entirely developed and if a shoe is not properly fitted, then the child’s body’s biomechanics can be altered. It doesn't matter what type of feet your kids have (narrow, medium, wide, or extra wide), there is a style of shoe that will work best for their feet, and you WILL find it here!

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